Steel Used For Shift Rail

[Herman1170]

I am going to make a shift rail to replace a broken one in a transmission on a 730 CASE tractor. The rail is about 3/4 dia and 10 inches long. What grade steel would be best for this application?

 

[mrfailure]

No real way to know without analysis unless you are lucky enough to have documentation or markings on the broken rail to find out how it was made. Otherwise, you should send it to a lab to identify material/strength characteristics for identification. Note that if the rail failed prematurely, you are risking another failure of the replacement if you do not know why it broke.

 

[tbuelna]

Have you considered what it would cost to purchase a replacement part versus what you will spend to make your own part?

If you decide to make the part yourself, I'd recommend using the best alloy steel and the best heat treatment, since the added cost will not be significant. The cost for material (like Nitralloy N bar) will be less than $50, and heat treatment (quench, temper and nitride) will likely cost around $150-200. But rough machining and finish grinding may likely cost around $1000 or more.